Bringing the taste of home to people in flood-affected areas

Refuel with country cakes

Returning after days with the Hoc Mon Social Work Club, Ho Chi Minh City, delivering more than 2,000 cakes to Dak Lak to support flood victims, Mr. Dao Ba Vay (born in 1962), residing in Dai An Khe village, did not allow himself to rest, so he quickly went to the kitchen to promptly resolve the backlog of orders. Explaining the reason for his old age and busy work but still arranging to go to the flood-affected area, Mr. Vay said: "I went to find out what people need? What is the meaning of my cakes?".

The old farmer's story of accidentally getting into the cake-making profession is as simple as he is. Born and raised in Dai An Khe village, Mr. Vay saw his parents wrapping moon cakes since he was a child. It was his parents who guided him in making this cake. In 2015, when he shared his finished product on social media, Mr. Vay unexpectedly received orders and positive feedback. After that, orders came to his family one after another. There were days when Mr. Vay and his wife had to use up to 100 kg of sticky rice to wrap the cakes. Many times, they hired up to 10 workers and then shared the orders with the villagers. Despite being so busy, Mr. Vay still put everything aside when he knew that the cakes he made could help share the hardships of people in areas affected by natural disasters and epidemics.

“I joined the charity cake wrapping with everyone since the complicated development of Covid-19 to help the people in the South, and then we have been together until now. Sharing is my joy,” Mr. Vay said.

People in Dai An Khe village do charity work with their hometown cakes - Photo: Q.H

People of Dai An Khe village do charity work with their hometown cakes - Photo: QH

Also returning from Dak Lak after a charity trip, Ms. Ho Thi Loan (born in 1991) felt warm when hearing compliments about her hometown's cakes. Ms. Loan said that this year, this is the third time that she and the people of Dai An Khe have cooperated with the Hoc Mon Social Work Club to do charity with hometown cakes. Compared to the previous two times, this time, the number of cakes is twice as much. "A piece when hungry is worth a package when full. Seeing the people of Dak Lak receive the cakes and eat them deliciously, I feel a stinging in the corner of my eyes. This is the motivation for me to keep going," Ms. Loan said.

Ms. Loan and Mr. Vay are both members of the Dai An Khe Moon Cake Production Cooperative. Together with other kind-hearted people in the village, they have not been afraid of difficulties in the past time, bringing the taste of their homeland to people in areas heavily affected by natural disasters. In addition to wrapping cakes, sometimes, they also go directly to the road, handing cakes to people in flooded areas.

Prosperity from traditional baking profession

Dai An Khe village - where the famous moon cake is made - is a countryside with a rich revolutionary tradition. In the past, people were only familiar with farming. However, their calloused hands still made the famous delicious cakes. Dai An Khe cake has the green color of Malabar spinach leaves, the yellow color of bean paste, and the fatty taste of pork... The cake has a crescent shape so it is often called moon cake.

In the past, people in Dai An Khe village only made moon cakes on holidays, Tet, and death anniversaries. As the reputation spread far and wide, orders poured in, and more and more households in the village started making cakes to sell. Some families' cake pots were on fire all year round. In addition to moon cakes, they also made square cakes, and tay cakes. To have delicious cakes, people often had to wake up at 2-3 am. After the hot cakes were taken out and taken by truck to the South or North, people had time to rest.

In 2019, with the support of the Commune Women's Union and related levels and sectors, the Dai An Khe Moon Cake Production Cooperative was born. From here, the villagers became more united and united to create, helping their hometown dish reach far and wide. As expected, the moon cakes and other cakes made by the villagers have reached many provinces and cities. This is also a gift that some people bring to send to family, friends and partners abroad.

Ms. Le Thi Bich Chi, Head of the Dai An Khe Moon Cake Production Cooperative, said: “Currently, the group has 19 members, representing 19 families. During peak season, the group members have to hire more workers. On average, about 4,000 cakes leave Dai An Khe village every day to go to market.”

Put aside orders and focus on charity work

In the past, despite working hard, the people of Dai An Khe village still had a difficult life. Since they started making cakes, many families have had enough to eat and save. The spiritual life of the people has been constantly improved. Therefore, the people of Dai An Khe village cherish their profession. They pay attention to each order and each cake.

Although they value their profession so much, there are times when the households in Dai An Khe village refuse large orders and spend their time doing charity work by wrapping cakes. Talking about this, the group leader Le Thi Bich Chi said that Dai An Khe village is an area that is often heavily affected by natural disasters. Therefore, the people always understand and want to help those in the same situation.

“Natural disasters often occur at the end of the year. This is the time when orders arrive at Dai An Khe village the most, and income is higher. However, when the campaign is launched, people are still willing to refuse or accept fewer orders to focus on doing charity work,” Chi shared.

According to Chi, the charity cake wrapping started when Covid-19 became complicated. Hearing that people in the South were lacking food, members of the group and local people initiated making cakes to send to the South. Since then, whenever they heard that somewhere needed help, people gathered to make cakes. This year's rainy season alone, people in Dai An Khe village have gathered to wrap cakes 3 times to support people in flood-hit areas, with a total of more than 4,000 cakes.

Not only contributing their labor, members of the Dai An Khe Moon Cake Production Cooperative and villagers also donated cash to support people in disaster-stricken areas. Seeing their good deeds, many business partners and benefactors also joined in contributing. Thanks to that, everyone was motivated to bring the taste of their hometown to places where it was really needed. Each cake is filled with love and solidarity.

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